Basically, I wanted a way to mount my ibm x41 tablet laptop into my box. This is the tablet that I have. It's got 1.5 ghz cpu, 60 gigs of space, 512mb ram, and the screen is "touch screen" - you have to use the supplied pen for this functionality. Please also note (contrary to the old picture I have below) that this tablet laptop weighs about 4 pounds with battery - making it an ideal solution for my case.

Basically, I wanted to make a mount that fit into the xb cubby but it had to be removable EASILY (like sliding it in and out) . I started with this piece of metal i had laying around. It's something like 5" wide and about 20" long.

I drew a mspaint diagram of how i wanted the mount to be shaped. This is the diagram. According to the diagram, in the cubby, i was going to use 2 pieces of "hard foam" to keep the mont in place. Instead, I chose to use 2 pieces of foam that i connected to the sides of the mount itself. This is an old picture from my 1st thread -when i had an x41 NON-TABLET laptop. the tablets screen folds over the keyboard so it makes this diagram a little different but still gives you an idea of what i wanted to do..

So I took the piece of metal, and bent it according to some measurements i took - the depth of the cubby bin, the thickness of my laptop, etc. I covered this with a bandana by folding it around the metal and ductaping it together - this is to prevent the bare metal from scratching my laptop. Basically, when I was done, and I attached the couple of pieces of foam to the sides, I was done. This is what the mount looks like when it's partially put into the xb cubby space:

All I have to do now is to take out my tablet(laptop) and slide it into the space that there on the mount. I made this space a little smaller than the width of the tablet so it would have a really snug fit. This is what it looks like when I have the tablet mounted.

I wanted only 3 wires running to the laptop - power, sound (from aux input) and usb gps reciever. I plugged in the stero wire into the aux port

and ran the wire under the shift console and the kick panel next to the drivers right foot. I have these wires coming out of the area on the passenger seat as shown in this pic:

Right now, i have to remove that small rectangular compartment in order to access the wires but i plan on drilling a hole at the bottom of this and fishing the wires through there. that way 1) you cant see them when im not using them and 2 ) i dont have to remove the rectangular thing! duhh!

some finished product shots:

I will add more pictures and info to this as i edit but just wanted to say that the laptop moves as i drive - but only slightly. It does not fall out of the "mount". The mount takes a good amount of vibration from bumps and stuff and I'm having no problems with it. I've taken sharp turns that have bumps at high speeds and this solution seems to be holding up so far!

I was just going for something that worked. Not anything pretty, fancy looking, etc. Just something that'd hold my tablet.

The 1 more pretty important piece of into I forgot to mention - the mount that I made - specifically the portion that holds the "back" of the tablet - rests nicely on the cubby door. I originally wanted to remove the door but it actually helps keep the mount stable! I tested it and made sure that the weight wasn't TOO heavy that the door would break and it wasn't! The 3.x pound laptop I'm sure is the reason the door isn't breaking. Try mounting a 9lb. dell with a 17" screen! (that was my original idea!)

Proshop, sorry for the late pics - here they are. Please laugh at how simple the idea is! haha!

The next 2 pics show the foam that i use to "secure" the "mount" into the cubby. They fit pretty snug into the cubby and minimize the "sideways" movement of the laptop when I'm driving. I'm going to try to find some more of that foam stuff to make a tighter fit into the cubby. For now though, it's still not so bad.

I will get some more pictures later this week of how the tablet looks from outside of the car and how it looks at night. I got the chance to see it in the night for the first time yesterday, and it's gorgeous!!!

PS - The front-end i'm using is Road Runner. Oh la la - what a fancy interface! Again, I will put up some screenshots later this week.

april 2, 2007

just wanted to start a running list of pro's and cons for using a tablet in the car. i hope this list will give perspective tablet buyers a good idea of what to expect when using a tablet in-car for navigation/music, etc.

PROs AND CONs of running a tablet in your car for navigation/music

pros-
- 'touch screen' monitor built in - no need to purchase another xenarc/lilliput unit
- very light weight, not too bad to mount
- kicks the *** of a similar VIA solution (in performance, although the via is smaller)
- no need to run wires / take your car apart to "setup" for use
- portability - take this setup into another car, a rental car, take it to work/school with you
- everything already built in - wireless, bluetooth, etc - no need to buy over priced USB add-ons
- no need to **** up factory interior components to run wires, etc
- no need to worry about how to power it - power spikes, voltage ****ups, etc
- completely stand alone - all you need is a cable for power (cig lighter/inverter to laptop) and a single wire for sound (laptop headphone jack to auxillary output) - that's it. no need to hack up factory wiring, relocate head unit/temprature controls, etc.
- full keyboard is always there for you to use - you dont need to use the on-screen keyboard that is a resource hog like a mofo

cons-
- does not look "factory/oem" nice
- easy to steal (if you're stupid and leave it out in the open)
- bulky in car (depending on the model / interior space)
- can fly all over in an accident
- price (new price is north of 1500, used price is about 700-800)
- doesnt turn on with the car
- (when needed) power wire + usb gps wire will show
- issues with screen visibility in direct sunlight

PLease reply with other pro's or cons you may have/come up with! i will gladly add them to this list!!!

Wow.
The mount itself looks kinda ghetto with the bandana & duct tape, but when the tablet is resting in its place, you can't tell.
The bandanna for padding is a great idea. It also adds a bit to the stealth, as it just looks like.. well... a bandana!

Thanks for the props, dude. It is definitely is ghetto - I wasn't going for the prettiest most gorgeous show-ready solution - I wanted something quick and dirty that would work for me. I was breaking my neck by having the laptop sit on the passenger seat as I drove! lol! so I wanted it in a position where I can see it and fiddle with it as needed - comes in handy when I am using Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 for navigation! =]

The bandana was used because that's the only thing I had laying around. I want to get some all black fabric/tshirt and wrap it in that so it looks a little cleaner.

I wanted something that would hold the tablet and when I park, it had to be easily removable. Hence my solution. After I park (or at the red light before I park) I shut down the tablet and simply pull the mount out of the cubby hole - a whole 10 seconds.

I considered the RAM-MOUNT solution ( http://www.ram-mount.com/laptop_moun...aptop_desk.htm ) but a few things lead me away:
1) price - it's over $250 with the "neat" options and all it does is hold a laptop@!#
2) you have to mount it in a way where it cant be removed.
3) the passenger loses some legroom as a result of the mount

All in all, it works for me. No complaints on my side. The cables are all "retractable" or "hideable" so when I park the car, it just looks like a stock Scion xB. I have a total of 3 cables run in the car - the power cable for the laptop, the audio cable that runs to the stock head unit and the usb gps reciever. Out of these 3, I only use the audio cable the most because the tablet has a nice battery life - over 5 hours playing music. This way, the other two cables can just remain out of sight and i can only use the audio cable.

In terms of durability, I've taken some sick turns at high speeds in my car and the mount has held up just fine! I'm going to get some bigger foam pads to put on it so it fits more snugly into the cubby. that's the only improvement i think is needed for it to be finished. =]
- sh00k

breaker021: your idea of usin your tablet pc as a carputer is great. INITIALLY, that was what i thought of doing after seeing an episode of pimp my ride in which some aspiring rapper got hooked up with a tablet pc so he can freestlye and have the tablet turn his speech into text.

Proshop, sorry for the late pics - here they are. Please laugh at how simple the idea is! haha!

I had to laugh when you said that. HAhaha. It is truly a well thought out easy solution. I think you are good to go as long as you got GPS and mp3 playback capabitlity. As for the touch screen, haha yeah that s&*@ is kinda annoying where you gotta use the "pen" that came with the tablet. I've played with my uncles Tablet and it made me mad when i first got a hold of it. You'd think there is a way around using your finger.

All in all, I think its a great idea for any one whos got a tablet PC. gOOD Job bro.

Thank you for the props, dude. The reason why I chose the tablet was because I needed a laptop in the first place and It would be a lot, in my eyes, to install a pc, run the wiring, have a pc (no matter the size) take up space in my car, having it hardwired there and the possibility of having it stolen, etc. my neighborhood sucks which is the reason why I didn't go that route.

With the tablet - I take 15-20 seconds before I get out of my car, I leave it looking absolutely stock. you cant even tell that I had anything in there. No ugly laptop-less mounts laying around, no wires everywhere, etc. Like you said, for mp3s and navigation, this solution is off the hook.

I put the "laugh at the mount" line in because I didn't want anyone to think I was tooting my own horn by any means. Its far from professional so using the bandana I think ads some sort of "you gotta be kiddin' me" factor to it - it's like a joke. lol... but the only reason why this simple and funny looking thing even works is SOLELY based on the weight of the laptop and the fact that it is a tablet. A heavier laptop would not work in this situation and would require more thought than I would like to put into it! =P

I was an a$$ by not taking pictures of my tablet at night. From outside the car, it looks so awesome having a huge 12" screen right below the radio. I will definitely take pics and update this post. I put a lot of detail into the pics + post because I want others that want to mount a tablet to have an easy time. And this is only the 1st version of the mount and I am sure you have noticed that the "bends" in the mount are a little rounded. I would have preferred them to be squarred off but that didn't work too well =P That's what tweaks are for. haha. hopefully my second mount will be cleaner and less ghetto-esque - not that that's a bad thing! =P

Also, yeah, using the pen is a little annoying but not so bad. what sucks is when you drop it between the shift console area and your seat! then you can't do anything until you stop! lol!
- sh00k

I took some crappy night shots this past weekend. I will try to get some nicer and cleaner ones later this week but here they are... I did a bit of night driving this weekend and had a blast. I can read the display absolutely clearly because it's huge. =D